Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an intake air temperature control apparatus for a vehicle engine, the apparatus being configured to control a temperature of intake air which is introduced in an engine placed in an engine compartment, of a vehicle.
Related Art
Heretofore, as one technique in this field, an intake air temperature control apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2000-234568 (JP-A-2000-234568) has been known, for example. The apparatus includes a hot-air control valve configured to open and close each intake port for taking in warm air and outside air and a thermostat configured to maintain a temperature of intake air in a certain range, the intake air being composed of the warm air or the outside air, or both of them. To an intake port for the warm air, air having been warmed up around an exhaust manifold will be introduced. To an intake port for the outside air, the outside air will be introduced. Herein, the thermostat is disposed in an intake passage downstream of both the intake ports, and therefore the thermostat is configured to be operated in response to the intake air temperature in the intake passage to control an opening degree of the hot-air control valve. In other words, the opening degree of the hot-air control valve is controlled according to the intake air temperature, and thus the temperature of the intake air which will be introduced in the engine is controlled.